On-going research and biography for Josef and Florian Josephu (brothers); Josef Josephu, a sculptor born in Vienna, January 12, 1899, emigrated to New York 1939, and died in New York 1970....and his brother, Florian Josephu-Drouot

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The Brothers Josephu

Friday, May 16, 2014

I received from very interesting news from my cousin, Georg,
in Vienna. Through a chance meeting he came across a couple who restore
statues. The man, Rindler, is a sculptor and his wife an artist. Georg told
them of the funny story regarding one of my grandfather’s statues, a bust of
Guido Holzknecht, which had been
improperly restored crediting the work Josephu Sheu who was not a sculptor. They
later discussed Georg’s connection to the Josephu family. It turns out that
Rindler has been hired to restore one of my grandfather’s works, a statue of
St. Francis of Assisi, and that the statue will be returned to its original location.

Part of my research report on this statue was bout how it was
moved and appeared to be lost for many, many years...and my failed effort to locate it during my first visit to Vienna.

After I connected with Georg he told me he knew the piece – it was in an area he’s been many times. So this chapter of
the book will have a second happy ending – not only was the statue found, be
restored and returned.

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About this project:

I am the grandson and biographer of the artist, Josephu. I have been researching for over 15 years to create a biography of Josef and his brother Florian, to include journal of their works rich with photos. Special thanks to George Klein for his assistance, generosity and friendship, and to Herbert Fischer for his excellent research abilities and contributions.

If you own a Josephu piece, or know of one in a public venue, please contact me. Third party contributions will be most helpful and welcome, and will enable us to extend the base of works by Josephu. Email, please!!

I visited Vienna in 2011 in an effort to further my research, then - essentially - the biography will be complete. However, I view the work as an ongoing project and will ammend it as new information is uncovered. The printed biography will be tied into this blog, and possibly a video documentary.